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Paying the fare
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Rail Nomad's Camp (East Side) [south, northwest, north, east, west]
You find yourself standing on the east side of the rail-nomad's camp. A motley
collection of boxcars, tents, dusty people and smelly cows, this group has
formed itself into a small society. As you stroll into the camp, a disturbing
quiet falls upon the face. Doors close. People go back into their tents. One
of the nomads walks up to you and says "Welcome. I am the Brakeman. Please
visit the caboose prior to your leaving." Then, the nomad walks away. To the
North, you see the caboose of the broken down train. In addition, you see a
beat up railcar to the Northwest. To the South, you see a large tent.
The cold night zaps the heat right out of you.
Rylen
Solidus holds down a button on his radio pickup while saying: PFC Solidus to
Captain Rylen Grey, over.
A burst of static comes from his radio and Rylen's voice says: This..(static)
Grey... (static) 'ver
Solidus holds down a button on your radio pickup while saying: Sir, I'll give you a
few minutes...sounds like you're indoors, over.
A burst of static comes from his radio and Rylen's voice says: Yeah...was in
the garage. This is Rylen.
Solidus holds down a button on his radio pickup while saying: Captain, I have a
wounded man in the Rail Nomad camp. He looks like he came out of an ambush
situation...he's got multiple stab wounds all over his body, and is
bleeding quite profusely. I'm requesting a quick pick-up, sir. Over.
His radio squawks and Rylen's voice says: Dammit. Alright, I'll have Thrasher
head out as soon as possible...I'll be there for onsight in a minute, Rylen
out.
The roaring of American Thunder exhuast is heard off in the distance, followed
by a plume of dirt that is thrown over the horizon. At a break neck speed, the
captain comes flying over a low dune before sharply turning the bike as he
slams on both brakes, skidding to a halt by a tent. Quickly throwing the
quickstand, Rylen hops off the bike and heads quickly over to Solidus and the
injured man.
Looking around as he hears the tell-tale sounds of a beautiful Harley
engine sputtering to a halt, followed by footsteps, Solidus glances around and
finally spots Captain Grey approaching him. Continuing to tend to the wounded
man, Solidus offers only a momentary salute, then says in a softly-spoken
voice, "Sir, he's been cut up really bad. What's your thoughts on this?"
Rylen taps his brow in response, looking the man over quickly, "he's lost too
much blood...he won't make it back to the center." He looks the man's face,
seeing him unconcious, "Nothing we can do, Private..." The doctor looks to
Solidus a moment, then opens his bag up, "Just make sure he goes without a
hitch." Out of the bag, a small needle with a red cap is produced, a mix of
Rylen's own creation.
Looking at the needle for a moment with apprehension, Solidus looks
back at the poor condemned man. "What is that, Captain? A pain-killer? Or
something to put him out of his misery quicker?"
Rylen glances at the needle in his hand a moment, then back to Solidus, "A
little here...a little there..." he murmurs before pushing the needle into
the man's arm, and injecting the full amount of the syringe into his blood
stream, "He won't feel a thing....and he won't wake up. Sometimes being a
doctor isn't about saving a life." His icy blue eyes turn to regard Solidus
again, "It's about knowing when, and how to let one go as well." The needle
is removed from the man and returned to his bag, cap replaced. "We'll take
him to the center regardless...give him a proper burial." Rylen stands up,
as the sound of a jeep is heard from the south east.
Returning Rylens' gaze, Solidus nods his head slowly. "Ok...I guess
it's time to get the bodybag and load him up..." With that, Solidus heads
toward the direction of the jeep to retrieve the bodybag, leaving Rylen with
the rapidly dying man.
Rylen looks over the man, placing his fingertips to his neck, the pulse slowly
fading. The cocktail wasn't designed to drag out the process, rather put
the person to sleep, like antesthetic, only it would stop the muscles of
their body altogether. A massive dose of a drug like Rohypnol mixed with
cyclobenzepriene. The heart beat faded, the doctor nods, reaching into his
pocket and pulling out two coins. Opening the man's mouth, he places both
coins inside, and closes it again, "This'll pay your way across the river,"
he mumbles to the body, before standing up and taking his bag.
Returning from the jeep with a bodybag in hand, Solidus stops in his
tracks for a moment to watch Rylen put the coins in the mans' mouth. Regaining
his track of thought, he continues to the side of the doctor and whispers
"Helping him get across the River Styx...mighty commendable of you, sir." That
said, Solidus stretches the bag out, noting the ominous feeling of death it
gives off. Looking at Rylen once again, Solidus says "Ok sir, lets bag him."
Rylen looks over his shoulder, "I see I'm not the only one who knows that..." a
soft smirk forms on his face before he lays the bag out on the floor and
takes the man's feet, motioning for Solidus to get the arms or the
shoulders, and place him inside at once, "On three...one, two, three." He
lifts.
Solidus lifts on cue, helping to put the cold carcass of a once-living man into
the bag. Looking once again at the man before he zips the bag up, Solidus sighs
in sadness, wondering why in the world some people find it necessary to take
lives for meager possessions...Looking once again at Rylen, Solidus smirks a
bit before saying "Well, it's a vague memory to me, but I remember hearing
about the toll to cross the river after death...never really thought much of it
at first, but now, now I think of it quite often."
Rylen steps back, picking his bag back up, and remaining silent. "Hnn...well,
it's the way it goes around here. Primitive instincts gone insane. Survival
of the fittest weapons now. Too much is relied on by firearms, and by
force. Someone has something everyone wants, so they're killed for it.
Gotta love society today," He mumbles before starting over to his
motorcycle, "I think we should head back to the center....meet you there."
without another word, the bike is revved and Rylen peels out of the sand,
leaving Solidus, Thrasher, and the bag there.
Watching Rylen haul ass to the Center on his bike, Solidus looks down
at the bag for a moment, thinking to himself about the inevitability of death
before dragging the body all the way to the jeep. Solidus then hoists the
bodybag into the back of the jeep and jumps into the passenger side of the
jeep, telling Thrasher to get back to the garage. Feeling the wind in his hair,
Solidus thinks once more about morality before muttering "Ah to hell with
it...droning on about it doesn't make it any better."
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